The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-27
LAMAR AND THE SUPREME BENCH
Red Tape in the Departm ents-A
Story of Ben: Perley Poore.

Story of Ben: Perley Poore.
WASHINGTON, June 25.-The impression
grows stronger that Secretary Lamar will
be offered the vacant place ON the Supreme
bench 1t is stated that while the President
has not yet formally rendered the position
to him, there is every reason to suppose that
he will Everything is drifting that way,
and this situation has come about very natll-
rally, but rather by accident than design
1t seems Senator Hampton, of South Caro-
lima. was the first TO suggest the appoint
ment of Lamar, and the suggestion first
made by him has frequently been repeated
by others, who have seen the President
apparently without any knowledge in each
case that any one else had made the same
recommendation. Mr.. Lamar himself had
before this been asked by the President as
to the character and general fitness for the
place of prominent persons who had been
named. 1t in time came TO his knowledge,
however, that ne himself had been urged
for the appointment, and as soon as advised
of this fact the secretary recognized the i'm
propriety of giving his opinion thereafter
about other candidates. The fact that he
declined to do this is believed to have con-
veyed to the president the very pertinent
information that Mr.. Lamar would be glad
of appointment himself Some of Lamars
friends say that the appointment to this po-
sition is regarded by him as desirable rather
because the qualification it would afford his
wife, requiring less publicity in a social way
than is necessary in'the case of the wife of
Cabinet officer While doubtless entirely
true that no formal tender of the office has
been made to Lamar his friends infer from
the marked anxiety he has shown during
the past few weeks to hurry up the prepare
ton of data for his annual report that he
cOntemplates retiring from the Interior De
n r1r.NfaScac m hax-a hod
the slightest information from him that he
is going to leave the department, but many
things he has recently said entirely coincide
with such an intention.
TOO MUCH RED TAPE.
While there is no better paymaster to its
employees who are employed in the city of
Washington than the government of the
United States, there is none so bad in the
world as this same government, when its
servants are engaged in their labars away
from the shadow of the capitol. This is
especially true of officials and employees con-
nected with the Department of Justice.
While the clerks in the Attorney Generals
Office here received their salaries for
the first half of the current month
on Wednesday, the assistants to the Dis
trict Attorneys in cities outside of
Washington, as well as marshals, court
officers, witnesses and others needed to aid
in maintaining the dignity of the United
States courts, have not been paid for work
done during the month of April. Every
account against the government contracted
outside of Washington seems to have a
faculty of winding itself up inred tape, and
no matter il the public servant is provided
for by law, he cannot get his salary until
his account has passed through a hundred
hands. Those interested have been trying
for years to get some system Of payments
adopted which would insure more prompt
payment, but up to the present time they
have been unable to get any satisfaction.
STORY OF MAI PooRE.
As the MORNING NEWS has already pub
lshed that the place made vacant by the death
Of Ben: Perley Poore has been filed by SEN
ator Manderson, the chairman of the COM
mittee which controls the place, some days
days ago / asked the Senator to tell me the
circumstances attending Maj Poore's re-
tention by him. in the clerkshfp of this i'm
portant committee when he became its
chairman. sas had heard the Major refer to-
it with grateful recognition of his courtesy
He replied thatsthe facts were very simple
merely that when he was assigned to the
Craftsmanship he was much surprised, be-
cause being SO new Senator he was not
strictly entitled to any Craftsmanship, es-
especially of a prominent committee, and
wondered that Gen. Hawley, who was
entitled to it, had declined in
bis favor. Gen. Hawley ex-
planned to him by saying that he had a pri-
vate secretary whom he should be 10th to
Misplace, and should wish to carry him into
the clerkship of any committee over which,
he might preside; but that Maj. Poor0
long service on the work of that committee
under Senator Anthony had given him
feeling of proprietorship in the place, and
be could not put himself in a position to re-
quest his resignation, especially as he was
an honored Republican citizen of a neigh
boring New England State. The Nebraska
Senator, having no private secretary to
earry with him into that committee was
quite unembarrassed, and accepted the posi-
lion. Within q few hours Mai. Poore
came to him, and in manner which
which touched him very much, rendered his
congratulations on his accession, with the
ceremonious pohtenoss of an old-school gen
tleman, but in a voice which had a tremor
Of anxiety in it. The Senator, reaching out
his hand, said: THANK you, Maj. Poore.
One of the pleasantest features in this mat
ter to me is, thatit enables me to associate
you with me in the same position you so
lohg and honorably fille1 to the lamented
Senator Anthony" The old Majors heart
was too full for words, but two tears slowly
trickled down from his full blue eyes, one
Of which had for years been sightless from
cataract, and coursed their way over his fat
cheeks. II believe" said Senator Mander
son, lit would have broken the old mans
heart if / had displaced him, apd the cor
dial feeling inaugurated in that hour re-
mafned unbroken to his death"
A CABINET RUmoR.
The rumor that Secretary Endicott is to
withdraw from the Cabinet attracts some
attention. As told, the story is that Mr..
Endicott feels very much Inundated and
lnsulted by the manner in which the papers
have referred to him in connection with the
battle-fag sensation. Some of the New
York papers especially have denounced him
In very emphatic terms, and the Secretary
Is represented as believing their denuncia-
lions to have had-some inspiration at least
at the White House It is not at all unlikely
that Secretary Endicott regards him
self as very badly treated, and
he may possibly feel that the President Is
somewhat to blame in that he has not taken
any pains to contradict the insulting refer
ences Of which the newspapers have in
dulged. While this is possibly true it is none
the less fact that the President is exceed
lngly careful, in all he has said to visitors
who have talked to him about the flag mat
ter, not to say anything directly condemna-
tory Of either Secretary Endicott or Adjt
Gen. Drum. IL is natural he should be
Ecrupulously careful in this respect, but
i is very likely none the less that he would
rather weinotua than recrret the resip-